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Date:      Mon, 16 Feb 1998 15:58:17 -0800
From:      Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>
To:        Tor Egge <Tor.Egge@idi.ntnu.no>
Cc:        mike@smith.net.au, toor@dyson.iquest.net, hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: VM messed: vm_page_free panic problem 
Message-ID:  <199802162358.PAA08389@dingo.cdrom.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 17 Feb 1998 00:42:48 %2B0100." <199802162342.AAA16968@pat.idi.ntnu.no> 

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> > In the case in question, this is to be expected.  The MFS is supposed 
> > to be in the kernel image, but because the 4MB page covering the kernel 
> > is not correctly set up an early MFS operation causes a fatal fault.
> > 
> > Your fix is probably correct in the general case, but it's not relevant 
> > here.
> 
> It is relevant.
> 
> I probably gave too little information in my previous mail. 

I think so.  Thanks for taking the time to elaborate.

> The kernel backtrace shown was for a slightly modified (DDB was added)
> 3.0-SNAP install kernel. The program to be started was "/stand/sysinstall".
> 
> Without a mfs_getpages, I got the crash.
> 
> With a mfs_getpages, the kernel booted fine, and I got the normal
> sysinstall menu.

Ah.  It wasn't clear to me that you had actually done this.

> DISABLE_PSE was not specified in the kernel config file for any
> of these (modified) 3.0-SNAP install kernels. It should not be needed
> to use this option at all.

I concur, as does Bruce.  I couldn't see what was wrong with either the 
before or after cases, merely that DISABLE_PSE made things work.

> The main difference between running 3.0-CURRENT from hard disk and and
> installing a 3.0-SNAP from a floppy is how the MFS file system is used.
> Reading/writing files does not cause a VOP_GETPAGES() call, but a 
> VOP_STRATEGY() call, which is supported by MFS.

Would this mean that in "normal" use, attempting to execute something 
off an MFS would also cause problems?

[... explanation ...]
> It is not obvious to me how using the DISABLE_PSE option fixes this
> problem.

Nor to me.  At that point I was happy that it resolved the immediate 
issue.

> The problem probably started occuring with revision 1.76 of kern_exec.c,
> dated `1998/02/05 03:32:04', which changed the pagein behavior when
> starting new processes.

That would be consistent with the observed symptoms.  

Thanks for the fix; it looks as though I was, indeed, chasing yet 
another wrong (but oddly functional) answer to the problem.  I owe you 
a beer.

-- 
\\  Sometimes you're ahead,       \\  Mike Smith
\\  sometimes you're behind.      \\  mike@smith.net.au
\\  The race is long, and in the  \\  msmith@freebsd.org
\\  end it's only with yourself.  \\  msmith@cdrom.com



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